Can diastasis recti be a reason for pregnant looking tummy after eating or drinking something?

Thank you for your question. During pregnancy your abdominal walls are separated and in some cases they never come back together. This causes a gap or a space between the widened muscles and causes you to have a pregnant look and you may feel as if your stomach always sticks out. So by the end of the day after you have been eating and drinking, it is possible that your adbomen walls are separated and it causes a bloated look. 

Absolutely. Because your abdominal muscles are separated alone the vertical midline, anything within is not contained properly and can bulge out. When you eat, your stomach expands, and this can make it bulge out more.

Diastasis recti and abdominal wall laxity can cause increased abdominal distensión, specially after eating. A tummy tuck with muscle plication will fix this.

Yes, a diastasis can make your tummy look pregnant. This is because it creates weakness of the tummy wall with a space in the middle. This can be fixed easily during your tummy tuck. Good luck.

Diastasis recti represents a weakness in the abdominal wall which can indeed exaggerate the bulge after eating.  This diagnosis can be made on physical examination and is routinely repaired at the time of abdominoplasty.

Hope this helps.

Dr. Ali Mosharrafa

Hello and thanks for your questionrectus diastasis can contribute to a "pregnant-looking" tummy but it's often a multi factorial issue. The abdominal wall gets stretched with pregnancy, and often it's the looseness of the abdominal wall that allows it to stick out, even when you're not pregnant. In combination with bloating from food intake and loose skin and fat in the lower abdomen, it can sometimes make us look like we're pregnant, even when we're not, which is of course I big dissatisfier!An in-person consult with an experienced plastic surgeon can help you figure out what's causing the shape you don't like, and what can be done about it.Best wishes-

Yes, a diastasic often develops after having children or gaining a lot of weight and then losing it.  Often surgical repair will be necessary to tighten the area to recreate a flat stomach.

A rectus diastasis could be the culprit, however there are many people without a rectus diastasis who look bloated after eating and drinking as food and fluid take up space in your abdominal cavity, causing abdominal distention. This is especially true after overeating. This normal bodily response after eating and drinking is the very reason many models will not eat or drink immediately before a photo shoot - so they can have as flat a stomach as possible for their photos. An in-person evaluation will help to assess if you have a diastasis that can be repaired to help decrease your abdominal wall laxity. 

Yes, separation of the rectus muscles can lead to a bloated appearance throughout the day.  It is one of the reasons women, even without a lot of excess skin, will consider an abdominoplasty.

Thank you for your question. Yes, diastasis recti can allow the abdominal contents to expand beyond their normal location (abdominal distension) after eating or drinking, resulting in a pregnant-looking belly. This is due to the outward separation of the vertical abdominal muscles after pregnancy. This condition may be more severe after multiple pregnancies or large babies. Correction of the diastasis by bringing the abdominal muscles back together, in addition to removal of excess abdominal skin and fat, is possible with an abdominoplasty (tummy-tuck). Abdominoplasty may be a good option to correct diastasis recti if you are not planning to have more children. I suggest meeting with a board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate you and find the best treatment options to address your concerns. Good luck to you.